What the Jocks Want 4:
Chapter 4: Carnival Carnivore
Was I really going to do this? Go to Ted's house, where his family and... Him live? These thoughts swirled around my mind the whole time as I walked from school to Teds house.
I know where he lives of course, he's popular, everyone knows where the famous Ted Davies lives. Even social outcasts like myself. I realise that I'm doomed from the moment I see the porch to his house.
I dithered about the situation, debating whether or not to call the whole thing off, or grow some metaphorical balls and walk up the path to do a project. That's all this is, a project.
I amuse myself sometimes, I really do. Here I am getting all stressed and worried over a social studies project. Wow, how lame am I?
Shaking my head at my stupidness, I marched to Ted's door, and knocked. All of a sudden, it swung open, and I found myself staring at a small girl. When I say small, I mean that she is smaller than me, and also younger than me.
She's dressed in jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. Over the t-shirt she's wearing a baseball top that's too big for her, and a matching baseball cap. She looks up at me from underneath the rim, with a bored look I have only seen on one other face; my own. I decide I like this girl. Especially when I look down at her feet and see she's wearing converse.
"Can I help you?" She asked, clutching a leaflet in her hand. Her thumb, with the nail bitten and painted black, is covering the title, so I can't tell what it is advertising.
"Yeah, I'm here for Ted, we're doing a project tonight" I explain briefly, not really too happy to be here, and the small girl's face crumples. I suddenly feel very nervous, I'm not good with little people, especially not little people that are crying. The girl looks about 9-ish... Not very little, true, but still young enough to make me feel uncomfortable.
"But Ted promised!" She wails, and I suddenly feel very, very uncomfortable indeed.
Heavy footsteps come down the stairs moments later, and I see Ted flopping down each step with the grace of an elephant. He goes and stands beside the girl I realise now is his heavily disappointed sister. I wonder why she's disappointed?
"Hey Jones" Ted says briefly, before his sister thrusts the leaflet she was holding into his hands. Ted looks down at the crumpled piece of paper, and his eyes widen in realistation. I see his mouth forming into an expletive, but he quickly changes his mind when he remembers his little sister's stood next to him.
"Oh...Sugar...Tara, I'm sorry, I'll...Maybe I could...." Ted tries to explain but Tara punches him in the stomach. Ted doesn't double over, but Tara still looks pleased with herself. Ted looks as if he's trying to think of something last minute, but Tara still looks unimpressed. Her bottom lip begins to tremble, and suddenly she bursts; letting it all out.
"You promised!" She wails louder, and Ted suddenly looks cross with himself. He glances between Tara and I like he's trying to make a decision. A decision about what though?
"Oh yeah... Well Jones could come with us?" Ted offers to his sister, and her face breaks into a smile almost immediately. She's obviously pleased. About what? What's going on?!
"Yes!" She yells happy again.
I'm really confused.
"Jones"
I look at Ted, and although he looks to be wearing an awkward face, he's smiling at me. Smiling very creepily at me might I add. He looks very pleased with himself, like a dog that's managed to poop in the tumble-drier.
"Yes?" I ask, trying to be a lady and not just grunt Yeah or Whatever. Why I'm trying to be a lady in front of Ted I don't know, but I might as well go with it now.
"I promised Tara I'd take her to a carnival. It's only here for one day, and I was wondering if you wanted to come. We could do the project while Tara goes on the rides?" Ted suggests. I raise my eyebrows. Let me think about this; lame school project or carnival rides?
"Sure, but only if you admit that The Who are better than the Rolling Stones" I grin smugly, knowing that I've trapped him. Ted grits his teeth jokily, his jaw locking.
"Never Jones" Ted says eventually, grinning at me, and he grabs his keys and we all head down to his truck. Tara singing behind us as she closes the door, and skips down the front path to Ted's truck.
"I'm going to the car-car-carnival, I know you all-all-all are jealous, say yeah-yeah-yeah, I dare-dare-dare you, to go-go-go on the ride, you might-might-might survive!" Tara sings, jiggling her body in a way I can't help but smile at.
"Is that from a TV show?" I ask her, because I'm quite impressed that it rhymes.
"No, I um...Made it up" Tara admits, blushing slightly.
"That's so cool! You're quite good at that, you write your own songs often?"
"Sometimes" Tara says, twiddling her hair around her finger. Shyly, she smiles at me, and I grin broadly at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ted grinning at the exchange between us.
"Cool, you should keep it up, you got talent" I point a finger gun at her cheesily, and she laughs, as does Ted.
We all clamber into his Ted's truck, Tara squished in with me in shotgun, as Ted doesn't have a back. Still, there's almost enough room, so I'm not complaining.
"Ted, will you take me on the helter-skelter?" Tara asks, her eyes shining as she looks at Ted. She obviously loves her big brother, and I think that's sweet. That she's sweet, not that he's sweet... Ted's not really the type of person you see as 'sweet'.
The drive to the fairground is not long, so within 10 minutes we're there. Ted gets out, an I open my door to have Tara eagerly clamber over me, and throw herself out, desperate to go on the rides.
Laughing, I follow her out, only I leave sensibly. I can hear Ted laughing too, and I see Tara grab onto Ted's hand, and begin pulling him towards the rides.
Without warning, Ted grabs my hand too, so Tara is pulling both of us towards the rides.
Tara runs towards the entrance, giggling excitedly (or evilly) to herself as she does so. Instead of paying for all the individual rides, there's a fee in. My heart sinks, and I delve into my pockets, only to find them empty.
"I got it Jones" Ted says, handing the bored looking staff at the gate some money. Surprised, I stare at him, and he grins. "Consider it an apology for stealing the shopping trolley"
"No" I tell him, sticking my tongue out "I'll consider it you surrendering to The Who and myself"
Before he can reply, I take Tara's hand and lead her towards the rides.
"Wait up Jones!" Ted yells, running after us. Tara speeds up, giggling evilly as she runs, pulling me into the queue for the helter-skelter. We run faster, until Tara suddenly stops and I do too.
Ted slams into me from behind, and all three of us begin laughing. Ted catches my eye, and he winks, and for some unknown reason I don't pull away my eyes. I keep my eyes locked with his own.
"Wow, look how high up it goes!" Tara exclaims, and Ted and I hastily both look up, consequently looking away from each other. Within a second, all the colour in Ted's face disappears and he looks like a piece of paper.
"You alright there Ted?" I ask him, and he simply nods, not taking his eyes off of the giant slide. "You don't look okay" I tell him, considering laying a hand on his arm. I don't, that's more friendly than I'd like to be with Ted.
"I...Um...I" Ted mumbles, his eyes still glued upwards. It make's a change from them always looking at my chest, I suppose. The queue moves forwards, and we're next to go on. Gently, I pull Ted forwards.
"Hey, if you don't want to go on, I'll take Tara on, okay?" I whisper to Ted, and he finally manages to avert his gaze away from the slide to look at me. He doesn't reply, so I smile at him.
Sure, I'm being nice about this fear of heights now, but the next time he annoys me, the whole school will know that the big bad football player's a real 'fraidy cat when it comes to heights faster than he can say "Mick Jagger".
Tara squeals beside me, and I take her hand, and together we climb the steps to get to the top. I'm a fairly healthy person, but that's a million more steps than I wanted to climb. Once we're finally at the top, I peer over the edge, but I can't see Ted. He must be sitting down somewhere, or trying to convince some blonde chick to go on a date with him.
"Come down with me!" Tara says, sitting on the top of the slide. I join Tara, wrapping my arms around her waist to stop us from separating. Just as we're about to push off, I feel arms around me, and a warm if shaky breath on my neck.
"Ted?" I whisper, shocked, and the breath starts chuckling. Before I can say anything more, and tell Ted to get his monkey-paws off of me, Tara launches the three of us down the slide.
Tara screams excitedly, whilst Ted and I scream worriedly. I squeeze my eyes shut, and I feel Ted wrap his arms around my arms which are squeezing Tara to make sure I keep hold of her. Ted buries his head in my back, and I can feel him smiling into me, his fear of the helter-skelter suddenly gone.
"Oof!" I moan as I hit the mat at the bottom, Ted landing on top of me. Sheepishly, he scrambles off of me, and I glare at him. I stand up, brushing dust of me. Tara is whooping behind me, dancing and pointing out other rides that she wants to go on next.
Tara begins running towards one that looks like a spider, but with a giant frog in the middle. It has three seats, and it goes up and down and around all at the same time. My stomach lurches.
Ted and I follow her, and I see him looking at me.
"What changed your mind?" I ask, referring to the ride, and a smile appears on his face.
"I wanted to hold you close to me"
I blink.
Is he kidding? Is this one of those cheesy lines or a soppy moment that Cassie always fantasises over? I gulp, looking at him with worry in my eyes.
"Oh god Jones, your face!" Ted laughs, and I hit him in his chest, releasing a cry of anguish at his sick joke.
"You suck!" I scream at him, and Ted laughs as I punch him. After a few seconds I stop, and take a few deep breaths, glaring at him. "That is not even funny Ted! What even makes you think I want you touching me?!"
Ted doesn't reply, instead he laces his fingers through mine and drags me towards where Tara is stood waiting for the ride. I dig my nails into his skin, and he lets go sharpish. I smile sweetly at him, and he pulls a face at me.
"Where have you been?" Tara demands "We're on next!" She squeals, looking up at the ride. Gulping, I gaze at the ride too. I watch as it speeds up, turns around, and then slows down, meaning that it's over, and it's our go to get on. Ted and I both look at the ride, and I find myself reaching for Ted's hand, as I want it back in mine. We look at each other nervously, gulping simultaneously.
I realise my hand is still in Ted's, but neither of us make an effort to pull away. The previous riders get off, half looking estatic and the other half looking sick. Tara leaps on, and launches herself into a seat. Gulping, Ted and I nervously shuffle towards her.
There's a sign saying "Tallest person sit here", and so Ted climbs into that seat, I get into the middle, and Tara scoots along to sit at the end.
I release Ted's hand, and I smile apologetically at him. He grins. The man in charge of the ride goes and climbs back into his booth, and I know he's going to start the ride soon. But how soon?
This should be considered a form of torture, being made to sit here, butterflies turning to rocks in my stomach. Any moment this ride could start, and I know I'm going to hate it when it does.
I sneak a glance at Ted. He looks as worried as I do, if not more. He squeezes my thigh, supposedly in a comforting manner. I'm too nervous to slap him or scold him for it, and out of the corner of my eye I see him grin obnoxiously. Great, he'll think he can do that whenever he wants now.
Without warning, I hear the cheesy music begin, and Tara whoops. I swallow the lump in my throat and tell myself to stop being a Ted, it's only a ride.
Slowly, our chair slides forwards, and I know it's beginning. I look at Ted, and he grabs my hand, his eyes as wide as mine in fear. I feel my eyes slide to look at Ted, but I look away before he sees me. What am I doing?
Is it only the ride that's beginning?
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WOOOO!!! 4th Chapter!!! Sorry it took so long but I'm wearing false nails and its nearly CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! WOOO!!!!
The picture is of Avan Jogia, or as most of you will know him, Beck in Victorious. He is Patrick Chance, because he'd be super cute with Cassie, and let's face it, the guys hot ;)
I forgot to say this before, if you don't like my cast, just ignore them and make up the characters in your head if you want to!! :)
What you peeps doing for Christmas, anything interesting?
If you tell me, I'll tell you!!
SOOOOO Since it's Christmas, the time for giving, hows about you super nice people vote and comment and fan??? Because you're super nice like that!!
:D
Oh, I almost forgot:
HAVE A VERY VERY MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
AND A SUPER SUPER DUPER DUPER NEW YEAR!!!!!!
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